Sony has announced the a7R Mark III, a 42.4MP mirrorless camera built around the lessons learned from its flagship a9 sports camera. The result is a high-res full frame camera capable of 10 fps shooting with more tenacious autofocus and many of the improvements existing a7R II users had hoped for.

The camera features essentially the same body as the a9, creating room for a focus point selection joystick, AF-On button, twin SD card slots, flash sync socket and, most importantly, that camera's higher-capacity battery. The new camera also gets the 3.69M-dot OLED viewfinder from the a9, providing a 1280 x 960 resolution view. This gives you highly detailed images with high contrast and deep blacks through the EVF, particularly during playback.

Speed

The sensor is the same 42.4MP BSI CMOS chip as before, but a series of hardware and processing changes act to get more out of it.

A faster 'Bionz X' processor, along with the front-end LSI processor featured in recent Sony models, allows the camera to process more data, faster. This, in conjunction with a redesigned, low-vibration shutter mechanism, allows the new camera to shoot at 10 frames per second, with full autofocus, in either mechanical or electronic shutter mode. It can also do a6500-style 'live view' continuous shooting at up to 8 fps. It's not the blackout-free shooting of the a9, but the instantaneous 'live' frames at 8 fps can help you keep up with the action despite this being, in practice, simply 8 live frames per second with black frames inserted in between (which we're told is much like the a6500 we tested).

Continuous shooting bursts can last for 87 compressed or 28 uncompressed Raw files.

Sony claims 15 stops of dynamic range and 14-bit Raw capture across more of its shooting modes (including continuous shooting in uncompressed Raw and e-shutter mode, which prompted the previous camera to drop to 12-bit capture), though it still drops to 12-bit when shooting 10 fps compressed Raw. At the pixel-level, we're skeptical of the 15 EV claim and expect something more along the lines of the ADC bit-depth: 14 to 14.5 EV at best.

So, although the Mark III doesn't have the super-high throughput stacked CMOS design that we saw in the a9, Sony says the faster processing will give faster shooting speeds and even offer AF benefits: "more tenacious" subject tracking and Eye-AF than the existing a7R models to name a couple, even if not up to a9 standards. So how does AF stack up?

Autofocus

The a7R III retains the 399 point on-sensor phase-detect AF system of its predecessor, ensuring accurate and precise autofocus at the image sensor plane with no calibration whatsoever. Like with the a9, Sony has updated its low light AF rating, ensuring focus down to -3 EV with F2 lenses. Indeed, we've found Sony's ratings to be relatively accurate, with a F1.4 lens offering 1 stop faster performance (down to -4 EV), but slower lenses offering worse performance (-1 EV for F4 lenses). The a7R II predecessor focused down to -3 EV with F1.4 lenses, and reliably to -2 EV with F2 lenses.

Importantly, though, Sony claims twice as good face and eye detection and tenacity. That would be welcome, as we found Eye AF-C to be very jumpy, readily hopping between detected faces in the scene, on the a7R II. The a7R II particularly struggled in continuous drive modes. The a9 remedied this issue quite a bit, more tenaciously sticking to your original intended subject as you can see below, and even functioning very well even in 20 fps bursts. We hope the a7R II's algorithms allow for at least somewhat similar behavior. See how the a7R II and the a9 compare, above.

Official Sony a7R III sample images

Stable high resolution

As well as the more powerful processors, the a7R Mark III gains some of its capabilities from a completely new shutter mechanism. This is designed to be both fast and low vibration, with a braking mechanism designed to reduce the risk of shutter shock, to maximize image sharpness (although for shutter speeds longer than 1/1000s, electronic front curtain makes this entire issue moot). Sony says it will offer professional levels of durability, too, and says it expects it to last for at least 500,000 actuations.

The camera's IS mechanism also gets a boost with the 5-axis system upgraded to receive a 5.5 step rating, by CIPA standard testing. The full capabilities of the system remain available in video shooting, too, though we would've liked to see the option for additional electronic ('digital') stabilization for glide-cam like footage as well, as is offered on the RX100-series of cameras and some smartphones today.

10 fps high-resolution shooting, with flash

A potentially huge benefit of the 10 fps mechanical shutter is 10 frames-per-second shooting with flash, assuming your strobes can keep up. That puts the a7R III ahead of even the a9 in this respect. This is another example of Sony not afraid to cannibalize itself: it's offering technology advanced compared to its flagship, at a lower model-level.

For some users, like strobe dance photographers, this may be an immensely important consideration.

Ergonomics

Although the body is essentially that of the a7R II, the Mark III gains some of the ergonomic improvements of the a9. This includes an AF-On button and joystick/multi-controller for positioning the camera's AF point. The camera's 3" touchscreen can also be used as an 'AF touchpad' when the camera is held to your eye.

The touchscreen can also be used to perform a controlled rack focus during video capture. Perhaps most importantly, the a7R III gains the new menu system of the a9, including the button customization of that model.

Video

As with its predecessor, the a7R Mark III can shoot UHD 4K from the full width of its sensor but gets better results in Super 35 (essentially APS-C) crop mode. In crop mode the camera shoots using a 5176 x 2924 pixel region, which it down-samples to produce highly detailed 3840 x 2160 UHD 4K footage. Sony says the image quality of both types of footage is improved but that the quality differential between full frame and Super 35mm modes will remain. In other words, Super 35 will continue to (ironically) offer higher resolution, better dynamic range and low light performance than full-frame mode in 4K.

The a7R III gains the Hybrid Log Gamma feature we first saw in the Panasonic GH5, which essentially captures Log footage along with metadata that allows HLG-compatible HDR displays to correctly present the footage, without the need for post-processing. Display Assist, which gives a 'normal,' corrected preview while shooting in Log mode, is available when shooting HLG footage. SLog-3 has also been added to maximize dynamic range for users who do expect to grade their footage.

What's this ultimately mean to you? You'll be able to immediately capture high contrast footage while preserving both highlight and shadow detail, and then display this wide range of tones on a HDR display without needing to 'flatten' the output to fit into the display range of traditional monitors. It's all the benefits of HDR without all the flat-looking downsides of traditional HDR approaches.

The a7R III also gains the 1080p120 (100 in PAL mode) video capability that Sony has developed since the launch of the Mark II, along with the fast and slow-motion modes that stem from the feature. It also shoots XAVC-S Proxy, with the camera capturing both a high quality and a small, more easily editable proxy stream, simultaneously (a feature we first saw on the RX10 IV).

Pixel shift multi shooting mode

New to the a7R III is a multi-shot resolution mode that, much like the system in recent Pentax DSLRs, shoots four images and moves the sensor between each shot, so that each pixel position in the final image is captured with a red, a blue and two green pixels. This cancels out the side-effects of the Bayer color filter array, meaning that full color information is captured for every pixel. This has a noise benefit both from capturing multiple shots of the same scene, which helps average out the noise, while also reducing the additional softness and noise that usually comes from the demosaicing process.

However, unlike the system Pentax uses or the earlier, 8-shot process used by Olympus, the a7R III cannot assemble the final images in-camera. Instead four Raw files must be processed using a freely downloadable image processing application for PCs that Sony will offer. The camera must also wait between 1 and 30 seconds between shots for the sensor to settle, which is likely to exacerbate the problems of subject movement between the first and last shot.

Other features

As well as all these there are a series of smaller additions. For a start, the a7R III also gains an anti-flicker mode that monitors the strobing of artificial lights and shoots at the peak intensity, to avoid dark or inconsistently exposed photos. Unfortunately though, since sensor readout speeds aren't improved, we're not expecting any decrease in banding during full-silent shooting (e-shutter) under artificial lighting.

There are also twin USB sockets, a USB 3.1 type C connector and the microUSB port that is found on most cameras. The a7R III can be operated when charging over either of these sockets, meaning the camera can charge over a microUSB cable while also shooting tethered via USB-C.

As per the a9, the a7R Mark III has twin card slots, one of which is UHS-II compatible, while the other is the lower-bandwidth UHS-I standard.

Battery life

Use of the larger NP-FZ100 battery increases the battery life by 2.2x, meaning a CIPA rating of 650 shots per charge when using the rear LCD or 530 shots per charge with the EVF. This can be increased another two-fold (or 4.4x extra life) using the optional VG-3EM battery grip, which it shares with the a9. We're eager to see how Sony fit this larger battery into a similar body size, as it's nothing short of impressive.

The a7R Mark III will be available from the last day of November at a recommended selling price of $3199.

Thanks to an evolutionary leap in image processing power and efficiency, the new α7R III combines a high-resolution 42.4 MP1 back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with impressive shooting speeds at up to 10 fps2 with full AF/AE tracking, as well as beautiful image and 4K6 video quality, wide 15-stop9 dynamic range, high sensitivity with noise reduction of almost a full stop4 and more. With these immense capabilities and a compact, lightweight body, it’s an extremely versatile tool for photographers, videographers, multi-media creators and all other types of professionals that demand reliability, flexibility and versatility.

“We’re continuing to raise the bar for innovation in the imaging marketplace, in particular with our full-frame camera lineup,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging for Sony Electronics. “As an industry, we are now entering the true digital age of imaging. The capabilities of the α7R III camera – silent shooting at 10 fps at full 42.4 MP resolution, extreme AF coverage and speed for both video and stills – exceed anything that is physically possible with a DSLR, making it an excellent symbol for this paradigm shift” He added, “It offers a level of customization, speed and stamina that will satisfy even the most demanding professionals, and ensures that they can take full advantage of this impressive tool to capture and create in ways they never could before.”

Sony’s new α7R III also features a new front-end LSI that effectively doubles4 the readout speed of the image sensor, as well as an updated BIONZ X™ processing-engine that boosts processing speed by approximately 1.8 times compared to the α7R II. These powerful components work together to allow the camera to shoot at faster speeds while also enabling its impressive ISO range of 100 - 32000 (expandable to ISO 50 – 102400 for still images) and massive 15-stop9 dynamic range at low sensitivity settings. This ensures outstanding overall performance at all settings and in all shooting conditions.

This new full-frame model was built without an optical low pass filter to maximize resolution, while also having the ability to output 14 bit RAW format even when shooting in silent or continuous mode. The camera is equipped with an innovative 5-axis optical image stabilization system that has been fine-tuned to support its high-resolution shooting capacity, resulting in a 5.5 step5 shutter speed advantage, the world’s highest10 compensation performance for an image stabilization system. There is also a new low-vibration shutter that reduces vibration and image blur in all modes, including the high speed 10 fps shooting, as well as several advancements in accurate color reproductions of skin tones.

High-Performance AF and AF/AE Tracking at up to 10 fps2The innovative new α7R III full-frame mirrorless camera is equipped with a refined image processing system that allows it to shoot full 42.4MP images at up to 10 fps with continuous, accurate AF/AE tracking for up to 76 JPEG / RAW images or 28 uncompressed RAW images11. This high speed 10 fps mode is available with either a mechanical shutter or a completely silent shooting12, adding to the immense flexibility of the camera. The camera can also shoot continuously at up to 8 fps13 in live view mode with minimal lag in the viewfinder or LCD screen. These high speed options ensure that fast moving subjects can be captured with extreme accuracy and incredible image detail.

For added convenience, while large groups of burst images are being written to the memory card, many of the cameras key functions are operable, including access to the ‘Fn’ (Function) and ‘Menu’ buttons, image playback and several other menus and parameters14 including image rating and other functions that facilitate on-location image sorting.

Additionally, if there is fluorescent or artificial lighting present in a shooting environment, users can activate the Anti-flicker15 function to allow the α7R III to automatically detect frequency of the lighting and time the shutter to minimize its effect on images being captured. This minimizes any exposure or color anomalies that can sometimes occur at the top and bottom of images shot at high shutter speeds.

The upgraded focusing system of the α7R III is comprised of 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions. There is also 425 contrast AF points, an increase of 400 points compared to the α7R II. This advanced system delivers AF acquisition in about half the time as the α7R II in low-light conditions, with tracking that is approximately 2 times more accurate as well. The acclaimed Eye AF feature is also approximately 2 times more effective, and is available when utilizing Sony’s A-mount lenses with an adapter16.

Additional improvements in focusing flexibility include AF availability in Focus Magnifier mode, focal-plane phase-detection AF support when using A-mount lenses17, an ‘AF On’ button, a multi-selector or ‘joystick’ for moving focusing points quickly, flexible touch focus functionality and much more.

High Quality 4K for the Video ProfessionalsThe new α7R III is exceptionally capable as a video camera, offering 4K (3840x2160 pixels) video recording across the full width of the full-frame image sensor. When shooting in Super 35mm format, the camera uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect 5K18 of information, oversampling it to produce high quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth.

A new HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) 19 is available on the α7R III that supports an Instant HDR workflow, allowing HDR (HLG) compatible TV’s to playback beautiful, true-to-life 4K HDR imagery. Further, both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased color grading flexibility. The camera can also record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbps6, allowing footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow motion20 video files in Full HD resolution with AF tracking.

Build, Design and Customization for ProfessionalsSony’s newest full-frame camera is equipped with a variety of enhanced capabilities that give it a true professional operational style. These include dual media slots, with support in one slot for UHS-II type SD memory cards. Users have a variety of options for storing their content, including separate JPEG / RAW recording, separate still image / movie recording, relay recording and more. Battery life has been greatly extended as well, as the new camera utilizes Sony’s Z series battery that have approximately 2.2 times the capacity of the W series battery utilized in the α7R II.

The α7R III features an upgraded high-resolution, high-luminance Quad-VGA OLED Tru-Finder™ with approximately 3,686k dots for extremely accurate, true-to-life detail reproduction. The Tru-Finder, also found in the acclaimed Sony α9 camera, utilizes a ZEISS® T* Coating to greatly reduce reflections, and has a fluorine coating on the outer lens that repels dirt. It also has a customizable frame rate, with options of either 60 fps or 120 fps21 to best match the action. The LCD screen has been upgraded as well, with a resolution of 1.44M dots and WhiteMagic™ technology that improves viewing in bright, outdoor conditions. “Standard” or “High” display quality settings are also available for both the viewfinder and monitor as well. “High” takes advantage of the large amount of data read from the 42.4MP sensor to provide extra fine viewfinder and monitor displays for a more natural view. The new camera also offers a multi-selector joystick that provides a fast, efficient way to shift focus points, as well as an ‘AF ON’ button to activate autofocus when shooting stills or movies.

The new α7R III allows for convenient transfer of files to a smartphone, tablet, computer or FTP server via Wi-Fi®, while also including a sync terminal, enabling external flash units and cables to be connected directly for convenient flash sync. A SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C™ Terminal is also available for increased flexibility in power supply or connected accessories, as well as a faster image transfer speed when connected to a PC.

New “Imaging Edge” Software Suite and Pixel Shift Multi Shooting ModeNew with the α7R III is a software suite called “Imaging Edge” that extends the creative capabilities of the entire shooting process – from pre-processing to post-processing. “Imaging Edge” provides three PC applications called ‘Remote’, ‘Viewer’ and ‘Edit’, available for free download, which support live-view PC remote shooting and RAW development.

Also making its debut on the versatile α7R III is a new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, which takes full advantage of the advanced 5-axis optical in-body stabilization to create beautiful true-to-life, super-high resolution composite images. In this mode, the camera precisely shifts the sensor in 1-pixel increments to capture four separate pixel-shifted images containing a total of approximately 169.6 MP22 of image data. These four images can be composited together and processed utilizing the new “Imaging Edge” software suite. This ultimately results in a still image with overwhelming resolution and an unprecedented level of color accuracy, and is ideal for photographing architecture, art or any other still life photography subject with many intricate details and colors.

Pricing and AvailabilityThe Sony α7R III Full-frame Interchangeable Lens Camera will ship this November for about $3,200 US and $4,000 CA. It will be sold at a variety of Sony authorized dealers throughout North America.

A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with the new α7R III camera and other Sony α products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site built to educate and inspire all fans and customers of the Sony α brand.

1. Approximately, effective2. Up to 10 fps in continuous “Hi+” mode, and up to 8 fps in continuous “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera settings3. Approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions4. Compared to the a7R II, according to Sony testing5. CIPA standards. Pitch/yaw shake only. Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens. Long exposure NR off6. A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required for XAVC S format movie recording. UHS speed class 3 or higher is required for 100 Mbps recording7. In Super 35mm mode.8. Approximately9. Sony test conditions for still images10. Among digital cameras with a full-frame image sensor. As of October 2017 press release, based on Sony research11. “Hi+” continuous mode with UHS-II compatible SDXC memory card. Sony test conditions.12. Some distortion may occur with fast-moving subjects of if the camera is moved sideways rapidly13. “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera setting.14. Not all menu parameters can be edited while data is being written to the memory card15. Only 100 Hz and 120 Hz flicker is detected. Continuous shooting speed may decrease. Flicker-free shooting is not available during silent shooting, BULB exposure, or movie recording16. With SSM or SAM lenses only. Eye AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the “Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than “Continuous: Lo” (Hi+, Hi, Mid).17. With SSM or SAM lenses only. With the LA-EA3 mount adapter. Focal plane phase-detection AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the “Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than “Continuous: Lo” (Hi+, Hi, Mid).18. 15-megapixel19. Connect this product to an HDR (HLG) compatible Sony TV via a USB cable when displaying HDR (HLG) movies20. Sound not recorded. Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card required21. In NTSC. 50fps or 100fps in PAL22. Image size after compositing is approx. 42.4 million (7952 x 5304) pixels.

I know is life and I know we can´t do much about it, but this new cameras thing is becoming like mobile phones, you barely get to know a good camera and you are bombed with the next model - This is just wining but hey it is also an opinion, a bit of consumist frenzy - Mark 4 MARK 7 MARK 8, BUY BUY BUY - REVIEW AND BUY AND CHANGE AND BUY buy buyyyyyyy

The samples look incredible; the dynamic range is next to unbelievable... That is something I value a lot and pay attention to. And I was waiting for the a7R III and eager to give Sony my cash.... However, I won't! Unfortunately, all of this is made useless for me by the lack of 3:4 frame ratio option. Yes. http://om.camera/2017/05/05/one-step-to-perfection-an-irrational-rant/

Given Sony says it's totally redesigned the readout circuitry (off the chip) in a way it says will lower the noise floor and therefore change the scores, despite them insisting it's the same sensor, how will you tell?

when shooting video with the laea3 on my a9, you have to choose between pdaf or cdaf in the menu.

with pdaf, af is not usable for video, at least with my tamron 150-600... but it rocks for stills.

i didn't try the cdaf choice in the menu, but the a9 only has 25 cdaf points, so i'm not hopeful... this a7riii however has 425(!) cdaf points, so it could be a different story, depending on what lens is used.

thx for the feedback... i just tried it with the a9/tamron 150-600, it chirps the focus motor the same way regardless of whether or not the camera is set for pdaf or cdaf... when i hit the shutter button, it tries to adjust the focus, which i have turned off in the settings.

so video mode must be overriding some of the menu options for still shooting... much has been written about how the aperture gets held open w/a-mount video recording, even on a-mount bodies... it's like sony is deliberately trying to cripple video recording, unless you put an e-mount lens on an e-mount body... or use mb4/mc11.

Sony and Nikon people, why can't we just all come together and celebrate this healthy competition and advancement in camera technology!As a D850 owner, this is some real exciting stuff. Now, let's see what Canon has up its sleeves.....

It's more like Sony and Canon people. I think Nikon users are proud owners and don't tend to troll Sony or get as defensive as Canon users do. And yes, I'm a Sony A6300 and Nikon D810 owner. I don't believe in trolling other brands but I do know that many Sony users get defensive against mirrorless haters and Canon users get defensive against people who feel Canon remains stagnant in their ways.

You two are absolutely right. I use Canon but I must say I truly admire these companies how they are developing these amazing cameras. I have never used Sony body but I would love to test them. These debates feels like war between Apple, Microsoft and Android.I'm with you Gary, I cannot wait what the future brings.

It's called passion. Sony user, we have lots of that because we have lots of "imperfect" cameras. Cameras that we love to love and love to hate. Besides, we get a new camera to tear our hearts every 6 month.

Should have been on the A7rII, that is where they whiffed. What camera does NOT have at least USB 3.0 these days? Specially a 42 mp camera. This looks like a A7rII with USB 3.1 and bigger battery. Hopefully the A7sIII will have 4k 60p to be innovating.

This makes no sense. No sense at all. Sony spend a lot of money on R&D and so they operate an accelerated life cycle.

This is hardly something to criticise, but something to celebrate.

Canon will take 5-10 years to get to the same place Sony will in 2 years. This is not a good thing.

Somehow, in a short period of time, they have found a way to create FF cameras with IBIS, fast AF and now a rapid frame rate. This requires enormous processing power. They are figuring out how to do this long before other manufacturers do.

Aren't both the A7 and the A6000 still being sold in their product line? It's crazy that people are so used to being screwed that when a company puts every innovation they can in every model they release people actually COMPLAIN about it. Freekin mental.

@Tester-v: You didn't make a point ;you made an inaccurate observation. The a6000 is still being produced and is readily available. It has also had a few software updates and, even if a few years old, remains a fine camera. As a long term a6000 user I was delighted by the features they brought to that format with the a6500 and so I have bought that as well. I am happy that Sony keeps innovating and extending the range of cameras they produce and so should you be, it is good for the industry.

What do you mean "abandoned"? Please define "abandoned." A6000 and A7 are still in production and available at great prices. I think the word "abandoned" applies more to other companies that kill off production of previous models so that you can't buy them, even at lowered prices, and are forced to buy the latest model at whatever price they make you buy it at! That's when a camera is truly "abandoned". But that's not the case with the A6000 and A7. They are still in production and priced really low. I think it's a great business model. Very good for consumers who don't need the latest and greatest, and still want to buy these cameras new.

So I'm a little confused here about the shutter. If you shoot with the mechanical shutter, you get 10fps but with a longer blackout than if you shoot with the electronic shutter at 8fps? It seems a bit opposite to my other experiences. Usually, the mechanical shutter gives a slower frame rate than the electronic?

@sc1920 - i don't see any relationship wrt which shutter is used, where did you see that.

"With new shutter unit and image processing system refinements, the α7R III can shoot continuously at up to 10fps22 with AF/AE tracking (up to 8fps22 with minimal display lag in live-view continuous shooting mode) for easy, stable shooting of even intensely active subjects. An electronic shutter allows silent, vibration-free shooting of wildlife when even slight noise can mean missing an ideal shot."

at 10fps, there is a 0.1s delay, not seeing where there is any blackout?

Of course there will be more blackout with the mechanical shutter! The shutter blocks the view of the sensor! When using the silent shutter, there is nothing physically blocking the sensor, so the light still makes it.

One of the reasons why the frame rate would be faster with the mechanical shutter compared to the electronic shutter could be because the electronic shutter requires extra processing to compensate for a non-instantaneous readout of the sensor. It would make sense, as the A7R III is a pretty small camera compared to the A9, which with its bigger size could afford more intensive processing. Also, the A7R III's processor has to pump out a lot more data.

Depends on the lighting. Eye AF sucks with a backlit subject. I wanted to use it on a backlit subject (half body shot, so the face wasn't too big in the frame either) with strobes placed in front of her, and it wouldn't work well enough, I had to use a regular AF point.

If the A9 is any indication then eye focus is vastely improved and totally reliable. I upgraded end of May, shooting the A9 now for 5 month, well over 150k exposures, 90% in low light, aka 4000 ISO, 5.6 at 1/50-1/100s. Very few occasions it doesn’t work. I was/am surprised and other seasoned and very qualified camera geeks on the team sometimes can’t believe it

I agree with JonathanFV that Eye-AF on the A7rii is pretty unreliable with backlit subjects and with lower ambient light. It also gets confused if one eye is covered, if the head is tilted too far or upside down (I shoot pretty arty work, not conventional head shots or beauty shots, so there are dynamic poses), and has a terribly annoying habit of choosing the eye that is partially obscured.

If the A7riii addresses this, and improves auto focus in a major way, then it's only a matter of time before I buy it.

Hopefully not those terrible side articulating screens that compromise >90% of the photographer situations that flip up/down does better, only compromising <10% of the vertical up/down 30 degree pointed shots.

I asked the same question last year, and the answer was that mechanical shutter allows for better control of sensor's gain (and that probably means less noise). Another person said it has something to do with CMOS readout. I can't remember correctly, but the bottom line was that mechanical shutter is a neccessity. Makes no sense to me, but I'm not an expert, after all.

That was true 5 or so years ago, these days it is not so. No added noise, no lower bits and only downside is readout speed about 1/125 (E-M1 II) or 1/150 (Sony A9) vs 1/250 or 1/320 that mechanical shutter focal shutter offers.

@Tommi K1 There's less of an impact on noise when using electronic shutter but it's still there in all modern cameras. As to the original question, mechanical shutter is still needed for flash photography and to eliminate rolling shutter effects due to motion and flickering lights (the A9 is the first camera to mostly avoid these issues, the E-M1.2 is better than most cameras but still not really close to a global shutter).

"while you can start the exposure to the whole sensor simultaneously, you can't end it for the whole sensor at the same time. This is because with CMOS sensors, you end the exposure by reading-out the sensor but, in most designs, this is has to be done one row after another. This means it takes a while to end the exposure." so the mechanical shutter ends the exposure by preventing the light to get in even though the sensor is not fully off.take a look:https://www.dpreview.com/articles/5816661591/electronic-shutter-rolling-shutter-and-flash-what-you-need-to-know

There shouldn't be an A9R. Only A7R series. A9 should be for sports, and the A7(R/S) series should have the best of everything else. If there is an A9R, then it is necessary for them to gimp the A7R series in some way.

A9R makes sense if it offers a bigger body with features only possible through the use of a bigger body. For example, processing bigger images. Maybe Sony will come up with a 60-80 MP BSI sensor with insane electronics to avoid adding extra noise to the image. Imagine if they could come up with a sports camera with a sensor/electronics performing so well it can compete with lower pixel count sensors at a pixel level (not just overall). I can see it being useful for cropping, it would make following fast moving subjects with long lenses easier because you could just zoom out a little bit. Or you could use, let's say, a 400mm lens instead of a 600mm one, and still get super detailed, high quality shots.

I do not think we'll see an A9R unless it's medium format. Really no reason to have both bodies in the lineup. Plus, I think the megapixel thing will level off. Adobe ,etc are really pushing cloud storage. 50+ MP files are quite large

I think the author misunderstood the specs by saying 'The camera must also wait between 1 and 30 seconds between shots for the sensor to settle, which is likely to exacerbate the problems of subject movement between the first and last shot'. I believe the wait is between the shifting groups (of 4), not between the shifting shots within the group. Given the extraordinary processing speed of 10 frames/s, a7R-III is likely to face less problem of moving objects during pixel shifting than other manufacture's products such as Pentax and Olympus.

I am a consumer and I don't care about the flip screen on any FF camera. I don't pretend to speak for you or others, but Sony will add a flip screen when their market research indicates that the new feature will generate more sales than whatever other features in their engineering backlog that have a higher sales priority.

Three upgrades which DO matter to a professional wedding photographer - dual card slot, high capacity battery and a joystick for quick navigation. Bravo Sony for perfecting an already awesome camera. I might finally take the leap

Seriously impressive specs Sony but build a camera you can be confident in. Are these disposable?

Anyone else getting dizzy from so many Sony AXX announcements? I have totally lost track of the camera I want and causes anxiety in buying one as well, why not just wait another 6 months and who knows what will come next!

I already replied to a nearly identical comment, but if you are confused, that is your problem but shouldn't be mine. My problem is that the camera that I want (A7III) hasn't been announced yet, and I am wondering if it will come out. The last A7R was announced more than 2 years ago, so you must be way out of the loop. That is fine for you, but it is not fine if Sony produces cameras at a slow pace, as you seem to be hoping. If a camera is good, then pull the trigger. Do you never buy a smartphone because a superior one might come out the next year?...or do you just pull the trigger at some point and then use and enjoy it over the next few years until you feel that it is time to upgrade again. Do you need EVERY new smartphone that comes out that is superior to yours? No? Then there is no need to complain. Just buy one...or don't.

@AE-1BurnhamMirrorless cameras are evolving at much faster pace than DSLRs. Granted, Sony could wait a little longer each iteration, giving us a more complete product each time so we do not feel like we badly need the next camera. I prefer this over Canon's strategy where you wait for ever to get only minor refinements. Between the 5DIII and 5DIV Sony released the A7R, A7RII and A7RIII. Going from something just more than a toy camera, to a competitive to as superior product to the 5DIV and 5Dsr (although the 5Dsr is due for update soon). I am sure that from this point on releases will start relaxing. The time wait between the A7RII and A7RIII was already longer than from the A7R and A7RII.

42MP is a disappointment because someone spread a stupid rumor of 80MP. And thats a reason not to buy it? At 80MP you would get 4fps btw, and I dont konw which lens would resolve this amount of pixels...

Me neither, felt also disappointed by the specs since I don't need AF, fps or video. +1 stop in DR - we will see how it is most effective (low or high ISO). Otherwise no change in sensor or IQ. The A7R II is a much better deal now IMO.

:I find it impossibly hard taking this camera seriously even just as an "upgrade". But labeling it a "new" camera?.. that's pure non-sense. I could start a long list if items to justify my thought but just the fact AT THIS PRICE POINT AND TIME IN THE INDUSTRY that it excludes 10bit and/or 4K60p, is a total and complete absurdity. I hope this is no more than a forgettable misstep from Sony and NOT the beginning of an innovation decline, aka, Apple, GoPro, Canon, Nikon, etc. etc. etc.

So, staying optimist, let me cheerfully anticipate this product as being kind of a quick extra cashing-in move from Sony, to later see the release of some sort of an a9Rxx that will be what this camera should have been now already and WITHOUT costing another grand or two ON TOP of this one or the a9.

4k/60fps is only one feature. As a hybrid photo/video camera, it's still doing really well. If the feature you're waiting for the most is higher framerates in 4k, you'll be better off waiting for a more video oriented camera. The A7R series isn't bad at video, but it's not its main focus.

I guess all my A7RII and A9 footage is crap, I will have to refund my clients, who apparently must be very wrong by being pleased with it.Do not get me wrong, I would love to have 10 bit footage. I do feel your comment is a bit harsh though....

Wow, I really like the pixel shift thing. One more innovation from SONY. Wait, didn't PENTAX already implement pixel shift in all of their camera already years ago, plus including motion correction? Let ignore that one. Focus on anything SONY is great, especially marketing budget LOL.

Downsample the super-resolution to the original size, and you will see it has more resolution, less moire, and less noise than a single shot image, the exact same result you get from in-camera pixel shift.

Still NOT same results. Done that, tested, and doesn't work so. I do lots of stacking when I know I need to maximize resolution and detail, but it never match the quality and performance that HR mode delivers. Even if I do a 50 frame stack (really, after 10 frames to 40 frames range the difference vanish) the single HR image place even more. You need to know how to handle the HR file, as there is far far far more details than any OOC JPEG or raw file as is will give you.

Sony...this camera is pretty cool. But don't throw your less wealthy potential customers under the bus. The a7ii came out months before the a7rii, yet the a7riii has come out before the a7iii. I am waiting for the a7iii, and I HOPE that it will still come out, as there needs to be some good competition at the lower end of the full-frame scale. A sub-$2,000 a7iii needs to be made...but now I'm worried. Well, if it does come out, hopefully we will get something for our waiting, namely a camera that, while having 24 megapixels (my current sweet spot), will also have many features of this camera (especially the improved focusing), just as this camera has some features from the more expensive a9, which came out earlier.

Well, both Nikon and Canon have their new $3k+ FF cameras out. I think Sony felt it was being left out of the party. I dont think Sony is worried about the Canon 6d2, and the D750 is a bit long in the tooth. So, until there is serious competition for the current a7ii, there is little incentive to release the a7iii.

The good thing about it for A7 II owners, I think, is that the A7 III might come with extra features that didn't come out in time to be in the A7R III. So that's nice. The A7R III didn't see a price increase, and maybe the A7 III won't either. Not bad. That's the optimistic point of view. :)

I agree with JonathanFV, Sony puts absolutely all of the technology they can into every model they release, so the later they devolop it and release it, the more tech they have refined which they will include.

The sensor is great. However main problem with speedy small bodies is overheating. This is a very fast computer and even in laptops heating is the major problem due to small size, shrinking pro cameras to tiny sizes will lead to overheating. And there is not enough space for stronger batteries.

@endofotowell let's see. Luckely I live in Canada and I had no issues with the previous model and the A9. "And there is not enough space for stronger batteries."I really do not understand that part.....

Sony has the best sensors. However If you read about Sony reviews on Amazon or B&H you will see that there are tons of complaints about overheating and limited battery life. Nikon pro DSLR has almost double shots per charge. Sony cameras are small therefore batteries are small too. I think these equipments are more computer than cameras, just like cell phones which became as strong as older laptops. Companies boast their stronger chips and sensors. On the other hand they forgot about cooling. These strong chips should be cooled.

It wouldn't be a Sony camera article without some fools calling them computers instead of cameras.

A7Rii user, it has never overheated and that includes two weeks of the Orlando sun. One battery per day was just about enough, would always carry a spare to make sure (for lots of video you will need two).

Does it feel more like a computer instead of a camera compared to my DSLRs? No. No it does not.

@endofotogoing back to the battery comment: the A7RIII takes the new batteries for the Sony A9 which has proven that battery life concerns are gone. You are either misinformed or just loving stirring up threads.

endophoto - But Sony just managed to put a bigger battery in the A7R III, without the body being bigger than the A7R II. According to their respective specs, the III is only about 20g heavier than the II. Sure, the battery isn't as big as a Nikon battery, but honestly, a battery with twice the previous capacity is a serious improvement, and is very likely enough for most people. And if you need more, then you just get the battery grip, or use a USB powerbank if you're doing long timelapses.

Sony has the best sensor and this camera design is both elegant and functional. But you can not beat physics. Heat is there and if you don't dissipate heat it will damage your camera. This is a pro camera and you put huge lenses on a tiny body. This is not very logical. On Amazon reviews 40% of consumers gave less than 5 stars for Sony Alpha a7II. I think you can make tiny entry level cameras but for admiral ships you should not do that. That's all.

I did not lie about the percentages. I checked Amazon reviews. There are blogs on internet trying to find a solution for Sony heating problems. If you did not have heating problem than you are lucky but not everyone is that lucky. I did not buy Sony FF mainly bec of heating concerns. You can not beat physics by changing battery design. This cam is a supercomputer without cooling system. We will see consumer reviews about this cam.

DPR:"The camera features essentially the same body as the a7R II, but Sony has found room for a focus point selection joystick, AF-On button, twin SD card slots, flash sync socket and, most importantly, the higher-capacity battery of the a9. "you should really change that, it is misleading, it should be more:"The camera features essentially the same body as the A9, without the left control dials."

I have both the A7RII and the A9. The A7RIII has exactly the A9 body minus the left dials. I guess they had to take something away to differentiate the cost, which is fairly lame in my opinion. But I guess on the A7RIII I will need less that left dial than on the A9, although it would have come in handy. On the up side it will be more obvious to me which camera I will be picking up....

RE: Pixel Shift: " The camera must also wait between 1 and 30 seconds between shots for the sensor to settle, which is likely to exacerbate the problems of subject movement between the first and last shot."

Moving leaves also cause trouble for:+ bracketing and HDR treatments+ long exposures (unless motion blurred leaves are a desired effect)+ stitching / pixelshift+ survival in the event of several tonnes of leaves falling on you simultaneously.

Best just to stay indoors and shoot high res captures of your sleeping cat.

Focus stacking in the D850 is far more useful than pixel shift and will result in cleaner, sharper images. Even manual focus stacking on the Sony will likely be better. A pixel shift image shot at f5.6/8 won't be as sharp as a focus stacked one shot wide open...

Where you can do long exposures, there you can use High Resolution mode. Where you can use panorama, you can partially use High Resolution mode.

And some say the used to go and spend minutes for portraits, and among those are damn sharp and great portraits even! Average people managed to stay still (thanks to supports!) for minutes! Now no one can do that requiring 1/800 shutter speed! (Or so some claims).

And f/64 group members would laugh about todays "landscape" photographers who can't do anything with long exposures. Example "Apple Orchard" was taken with relatively fast shutter speed, 1" in very bright scenery. And f/64 is equal to f/4 on m4/3 system or f/8 on FF.

Focus stacking in the D850 is far more useful than pixel shift and will result in cleaner, sharper images. Even manual focus stacking on the Sony will likely be better. A pixel shift image shot at f5.6/8 won't be as sharp as a focus stacked one shot wide open...

The Pixel shift multi shooting feature allows it to achieve the same color naturalness the Sigma Foveon sensor does. Although at the price of multiples shots, and not only one, still deserves a kudos for that.

Sony has finally hit their brick wall. When Sony shows "15 stops" on Claff's PDR chart, I'll applaud. In the meantime, Sony is sticking with low resolution so they can add gadgets most users cannot or do not how to make use of. Talk about spec-sheet marketing.

I don't consider touch AF to be spec sheet marketing. I consider it standard technology that all high-end cameras should have in 2017. So on that one, Sony has finally caught up with the competition (as did the A9). And longer battery life is something everyone likes.

Brick wall? The funny thing is that the specs and features of Sony's "brick wall" (face/eye AF in the viewfinder, silent shooting, IBIS, pixel shift, zero blackout, etc.) are aspirations for other companies. And no, 42mp is not "low resolution." Nor are all these new features simply "gadgets users cannot or do not [know] how to make use of." Maybe it's you who doesn't know how to make use of these features. The rest of us will be fine using them.

1.) Sony's claim of 15 stops of DR I say is BS. So does DPR in so many words. Read the article. Also, read my comments more carefully. When I see 15 stops of DR appearing on Bill Claff's PDR chart, I'll be convinced. Engineering/DxO numbers are meaningless to me and should be to you as well.

2.) Obviously, the term 'low resolution' is in the eye of the beholder. Sony made a tiny jump from 36 MP to 42 MP meaning they've been relatively static for the last 4 years. Keeping resolution low and file size low as well allows Sony to provide the gadgetry and keep DR propped up..

3.) Brick walls. None of these enhanced specs would be possible if the resolution had been increased by any meaningful amount. Also, it may an indicator that Sony has reached a plateau of performance for this line of sensors so all they have left is gadgetry. I am hoping that Sony has a high resolution solution in the pipeline.

I know this won't matter to fanboys, but the genesis of my frustration with Sony FF cameras goes back to the A900. There is always something important lacking from every release, a compromise so striking that it makes the camera unusable for me, from a lack of Live View to a lack of lenses to translucent mirrors to tiny cameras inappropriate for adult male hands to this plateauing of resolution. I give up.

The whole "gadget" label is a long-used BS argument. I remember when auto exposure came to cameras. People like Ron would call it a "gadget". Auto focus was also a "gadget". Lens image stabilization was also a "gadget". Basically, any and every feature that has come to cameras has been called a "gadget" by people like Ron. People like Ron would prefer that we were all still using large format field cameras, lol. Ron, I'll take all of these "gadgets". I don't need more pixels. Yes, I understand that some people do need more pixels. But those people are in the minority in the real world. And there are certainly other options for those who absolutely need more pixels. I'm just not one of those people who measure a camera entirely based on how many megapixels it offers, or that an updated camera is only "worthy" based on how many more megapixels it added.

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